Within punk zine issue 19

EDITOR

Jason Bolduc

COPY EDITOR Naomi Kelly

PHOTOGRAPHERS Jason Bolduc Jim Smith

COLUMNISTS

THE TOWER

Hamilton's Anarchist Social Centre 281 Cannon St. E Hamilton, ON L8L 2B4 Hours: Sundays 11am-5pm* Mondays 2-6pm* Thursdays 12-5pm* http://the-tower.ca/

Jason Bolduc Jim Smith Juana Luck Mike Mccarthy

REVIEWS

Jason Bolduc Mike Mccarthy

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Mike Magee/Stomp Records Melanie Racette / Stomp Records Melanie Kaye PR Sacha Miller/Erin Caroll/ AB Co. PR Mike Cubillos / Earshot Media Nikki Law/ Metal Blade Brian S Gross/ P.R.B James Gooson/Brixton Agency Talia Miller/Brixton Agency Dan Gildan /Brixton Agency

Label ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Epitaph Records /Fat Wreck Chords / Stomp Records / Bird Attack Records / Spartan Records Paper & Plastick Records/ My Fingers My Brain Records/ Greenway Records/ Flatspot Records Metal Blade Records/ Cardigan Records / Rebel Time Records/ Victory Records

CONTENTS

LIKE TORCHES INTERVIEW ON “SHELTER”

RAY ROCKET INTERVIEW ON “DO YOU WANNA GO TO TIJUANA”

GRAEME PHILLISKIRK ON HIS NEW PROJECT “MEDICTATION”

BILL HOCKMUTH TALKS “TIME” ON THE NEW FULL LENGTH CASTOFF L.P LATEST RELEASE NEWS MUSIC REVIEWS

WWW.RISERECORDSSTORE.COM

WITHIN PUNK ZINE INTERVIEW WITH

LIKE TORCHES

BY EMAIL

FEBRUARY 2 ,2016 COURTESY OF

Mike Cubillos/Earshot media J.B: So let’s talk about the name “Like Torches” I find your songs and message always has those metaphors of dark paths, but the positive always seems to shine bright showing the way?

Despite the flame flickering from time to time it burns strong?

L.T: Yes that is kind of what we’re going for. Knowing that the music business is what it is today, still just writing more music and trying to tour as much as possible because that is truly our passion.

J.B: What kind of bands have inspired your overall sound you have those remnants in there of some earlier Blink 182?

L.T: We’ve all been listening to Blink 182 growing up. Bands like Alkaline Trio, Green Day, Blind Side and Millencolin are also influences for everyone in the band.

J.B: On the last one “Keep Your Head High” you guys recorded most defiantly in a warmer climate up in f Hollywood, and this time around took a different approach and went up in isolation?

L.T: The contrast was huge! From sunbathing by the pool to burying yourself under a blanket with the heaters on max. We did bring a Nintendo to the studio in Stockholm, so being stuck there watching Zak play through the Legend of Zelda was pretty cozy!

J.B: And a Bomb Shelter? That has to be symbolic?

L.T: We actually decided on the album name after recording in Missing Man Studios. And yes, we got really inspired by the location.

J.B: Let’s talk about the cover art for “Shelter” it has some symbolic meanings deeply rooted in there. The bridge itself is old and with a firm structure but is subjective to age and decay, although a lone light shines on its path. The bridge is symbolic of many rea-

sons of where loved ones would wait for someone’s return or the common meeting grounds for mutual respect where differences could be bridged. What was the interpretation for the cover?

L.T: I love how you interpreted the picture.

I think the cover represents the whole journey that Shelter walks us through. It starts out with frustration / darkness and loneliness, ending with insight and gratefulness.

“That’s why we left town, to find isolation, and to find ourselves.

J.B: The Isolation of the Arctic Circle was that approach to cleanse and find inspiration in your true expressions and meanings without the subjectivity of the modern world, bringing it back to days of the elders and respectful of the lessons learned in the past?

L.T: We really just wanted to get away from civilisation for a while.

Having a job and thousands of activities happening around you every day really makes it hard for you to concentrate and get in the mood for writing. You kind of lock up your feelings somewhere else. That’s why we left town, to find isolation, and to find ourselves.

J.B: You mentioned before in a previous interview that “Full Hearts” was the one of your favorite tracks yet “I surrender” has some deep resonance in there that people might relate to more?

L.T: Full Hearts means a lot to me personally, it really describes the journey that the band is taking right now. But I Surrender is also one of my favorite tracks, I totally get why people would love that track!

J.B: On the newest release “Shelter” you have an lyrical journey through tracks that explores from desperation to regrets, and then acceptance and hope? What was the creative process behind it?

L.T: On Shelter, everyone in the band was involved lyrically. We discussed what the record should be about together, and then people pitched in with ideas and personal experiences.

J.B: The tone is set with “Walking Home” that resonates with hardships and heartaches but also time for reflection?

L.T: The song is about walking home after a really tough break up, but that night was also wonderful. The sky was really clear, I felt like I was finally free and as if I could finally think clearly.

J.B: It’s followed up by the misled truths and secrets that people keep with the track “Skeletons” do you feel that people hide from themselves and are not true to themselves or others?

The song is actually about a close friend who’s always letting you down and making the same mistakes over and over again.

J.B: When you guys wrote the album is was dark all the time did that bring the inspiration needed for some of the tracks like “Snowfall without you” which happens to be one of the darkest tracks on the album?

L.T: It’s constantly dark here six months of the year. So inspiration from darkness and cold is really easy to find.

J.B: “Full Hearts” has that positivity of the silver linings of those ever darkening skies but with that helping hand up from the desolation?

Do you find that having the back and forth duel vocals allows you to reach that atmosphere and sound that resonates with the lyrical content?

L.T: I think we both have pretty charismatic voices, and combining them makes us stand out. So having the back and forth duel vocals really creates a special atmosphere. Sometimes it resonates with the lyrical content, but not always.

J.B: The last album was crowd funded and this time around it’s different with Rude Records how’s that going?

L.T: Rude has been great so far. We’ve really gotten some great press and singles played on radio stations / TV and so on. So we have really seen a great difference in media distribution. I’m excited to see how they can help us touring wise.

J.B: You guys have toured with some of the bigger North American bands like “Taking Back Sunday” and Memphis May fire” and also on support for Yellowcard and the “Story So Far” what was that like did it have an overall influence on the direction of “Like Torches”?

L.T: Yeah Yellowcard has influenced us, Ryan has produced our two last records so that makes sense. Everyone in the band loves Taking Back Sunday, so yes, they also inspire us. I wouldn’t say it has anything to do with touring or playing with these bands, it has more to do with what I listen to every day.

J.B: The last one was done with Ryan Key and Ryan Mendes from Yellowcard was it the same producer and mastering this time on “Shelter”?

On Keep Your Head High Ryan Key and Ryan Mendez produced it, Cameron Webb mixed it and Alan Douches mastered it.

Shelter was produced by Ryan Key, mixed by Erich Talaba and mastered by Alan Douches.

J.B: You have done Japan that is a big check mark for many bands now that you have done the Europe Warp Tour are their plans coming up for a North American Tour? Although it’s hard finding time between jobs and life’s obligations?

L.T: Yes! We just announced Jason Parent at APA Agency as our North American booking agent. This is super exciting, we are already planning things…

J.B: What’s next for “Like Torches”?

L.T: Touring. Right now we are waiting for things to become official, but we want to get out there as much as possible. North America is one of the goals for 2016.

J.B: We always end with a famous quote or a famous book that inspired your life anything come to mind?

L.T: “Go then, there are other worlds than these.” ― Stephen King, The Gunslinger

RAY ROCKET

WITHIN PUNK ZINE INTERVIEW WITH

RAY ROCKET

BY EMAIL

FEBRUARY 08,2016 COURTESY OF

MELANIE KAYE PR J.B: Hey so we are hanging here talking with Ray Bottlerocket and we are talking about his new upcoming solo project is that what I’m hearing?

RAY: Yeah!

J.B: So tell us about Ray Bottlerocket?

RAY: I decided to go by Ray Rocket, sorta flows off the tongue better. I’ve always enjoyed playing acoustic guitar so I decided to record a record. So stoked on the way it turned out.

J.B: You have done some acoustic previously on your own before that was some covers previously from Bottlerocket songs so it kind of grew from there?

RAY: Yes, exactly. I’ve always jumped at the chance to play acoustically in the past and I wanted to play as often as I can. In the past it was just here and there, but with the Ray Rocket release I’m actually going to tour and do as many shows as possible.

J.B: Well you did have that YouTube video from “Songs from a couch” for “Go Away” and also the acoustic version of “Todayo” on “Punks in Vegas Stripped down Session”?

RAY: “Todayo” is going to be on the album “Go Away” is not! But a cover of “Pet Sematary” will be on the album. There are some new songs including “Please Feel Free” that my roommate in college wrote. But mostly the record is made up of TBR tunes.

J.B: So what’s the working title Ray? Any ideas?

RAY: The album is called “Do You Wanna Go To Tijauana”. I did a video for that song as well.

J.B: Acoustic punk is really coming around full on lately in the past years, I mean it has always been there because punk has its roots in

folk and country but it seems to show up more. So is there anything that kind of influenced you acoustic wise?

RAY: I think maybe my biggest influence was sitting around with my roommates back in college and just jamming. I’ve always felt that a lot of TBR songs translate over well acoustically. That’s not to say that the record is just me and an acoustic guitar. We threw a lot of different instruments on the album.

J.B: A lot of people say it’s scary doing acoustic like K.J Jansen said there’s no band to rely on, do you feel that’s an accurate example since you have to rely more on your voice instead of a band and you have to shine through more?

RAY: It’s definitely a lot different than playing with a band. If I was to screw up a line in a TBR performance I could most likely get away with it. It’s not that easy when it’s just you and a guitar. I feel like it puts me under the microscope more and I like that.

J.B: So you mentioned the Blasting Room so are you recording with Bill?

RAY: No with Andrew! Bill wasn’t around during the session. I think he was out rocking with the Descendents somewhere. I love that dude.

J.B: Will it be on that fancy new Atapi analog that they have?

RAY: We tracked everything in the B-Room in about 4 days. We mixed in the B-room as well, for 3 days. The B-room at the blasting room is really nice. The A-room has the big board and is alot bigger.

The B-room is sorta set to the back and is smaller and more tucked away. It was perfect to track out the record back there.

J.B: Lyrical content you have anything else that you might want to touch base on other than the regular stuff?

RAY: I was not interested in tracking out the tunes exactly the way they are on the TBR records. Those songs are already out there so I really wanted the songs to be different from the record. I recorded a Kody song too, “Without You”. I had my friend Angi Phlangee from The Spastic Hearts sing along with me on the Chorus of the song.

Kody sang backups on the entire record. That song stands out and is most likely going to be the 2nd track we premier off the album.

J.B: So what label? Maybe Joey Capes One Week Records?

RAY: Rise Records is putting it out. They picked up the album after I recorded. They have been great so far. I love those dudes.

J.B: Tours?

RAY: Yes! I’m going on tour with The Copyrights and The Lippies in May. There are a bunch of Canadian dates that a band called The Penske File are playing as well. I can’t wait!! It’s going to shred!

J.B: Pouzzafest? RAY: Yes sir! Playing Pouzza in May. Super stoked!!

J.B: We always end with a famous book or a famous quote that inspired your life anything come to mind?

RAY: “That was wicked man”

Spring Tour (with The Copyrights 5/12-5/29) 4/1 - Laramie, WY @ The Roughed Up Duck 4/29 - Fort Collins, CO @ Surfside 7 (with Sundowner) 4/30 - Denver, CO @ Marquis Theater (with Sundowner) 5/12 - Milwaukee, WI @ Cactus Club (with The Copyrights, The Lippies) 5/13 - Chicago, IL @ Cobra Lounge (with The Copyrights, The Lippies) 5/14 - St. Louis, MO @ Blueberry Hill (with The Copyrights, The Lippies) 5/15 - Indianapolis, IN @ Melody Inn (with The Copyrights, The Lippies) 5/17 - Detroit, MI @ Majestic Cafe (with The Copyrights, Penske File, The Lippies) 5/18 - London, ON @ Call The Office (with The Copyrights, Penske File, The Lippies) 5/19 - Toronto, ON @ Bovine Sex Club (with The Copyrights, Penske File, The Lippies) 5/20 - Hamilton, ON @ Club Absinthe (with The Copyrights, Penske File, The Lippies) 5/21 - Montreal, QC @ Pouzza Fest (with The Copyrights, Penske File, The Lippies) 5/22 - Barrie, ON @ Roxy Side Room (with The Copyrights, Penske File, The Lippies) 5/24 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Smiling Moose (with The Copyrights, The Lippies) 5/25 - Cincinatti, OH @ Northside Yacht Club (with The Copyrights, The Lippies) 5/26 - Cleveland, OH @ Mahall’s (with The Copyrights, The Lippies) 5/27 - Ft. Wayne, IN @ Brass Rail (with The Copyrights, The Lippies) 5/28 - Howell, MI @ Bled Fest (with The Copyrights, The Lippies) 5/29 - Lombard, IL @ Brauerhouse (with The Copyrights, The Lippies)

INTERVIEW WITH

GRAEME PHILLISKIRK

WITHIN PUNK ZINE INTERVIEW WITH

MEDICTATION /GRAEME PHILLISKIRK

BY EMAIL

FEBRUARY 01 ,2016 COURTESY OF

MELANIE KAYE PR Dickie’s untimely and recent passing shook not only those closest to him but also the punk world as whole, such was his influence and the positive impact that he had on the community. Whilst most of us are familiar with the majority of Dickie’s works, his final pieces have not been announced/released, until now.

Following the demise of Leatherface in 2013, Dickie Hammond and Graeme Philliskirk (also of Leatherface) joined Hugo Mudie, Fred Jaques and Julien Blais (all of Montreal, Canada’s The Sainte Catherine’s) to form Medictation.

Within caught up with Graeme Philliskirk by email to talk about Medictation and the meaning of it.

J.B: Okay let’s start off here on the story behind it all how did a dismembered Punk Band (Sainte Catherines) from Canada come to start talking with members of U.K’s Leatherface? Was it from the support of the 2008 tour?

Graeme – Yes, it was from the 2008 tour, Hugo and I worked on putting the tour together after the release of the Stormy Petrel. The side project Hugo was playing in, “Yesterday’s Ring”, came on tour with us, we had a great time.

J.B: How did Dickie Hammonds tracks come about on the release?

Graeme – When he heard about the possibility, that this might happen, he wanted to be involved. He had some ideas he wanted to offer, which helped get everything of the ground, way quicker. As always he was his usual enthusiastic self and really excited to work with the boys.

J.B: Is the release “Warm Places” a tribute in a way to Dickie?

Graeme: Yes, it is, we thought it would be best to have it that way. I mean it was the last thing he ever recorded, so it was important

Hugo Mudie/Photo J.B

for it to be. I know there are a few other things that should come off as a tribute to him that we are all talking about, also.

J.B: So how did the name “Medictation” come about?

Graeme: Hugo had the name for some time and really wanted to use it, we were fine with that so we went ahead and used it as the name of the band. I think he gets annoyed that some people keep dropping the “T”, by mistake though, haha.

J.B: The overall direction you have on this release has some similar feels but slowed down a bit from both previous foundations of the Sainte Catherines and Leatherface, on this project it’s more reminiscent sounding of some of the earlier Husker Du’S? What was the inspiration behind the direction for this project?

Graeme – Wow, that’s very interesting you have said that, because another guy has mentioned it, I spoke to the other week, very interesting. We never meant it to be.

We were a little conscious of not going a 100 miles an hour on everything, Dickies style of playing is all over the record

Graeme Philliskirk

“There does seem to be, “Categorization” of Punk Rock these days, which I can understand a bit.” and we didn’t want to be sounding too much like other stuff he had done. No doubt comparisons are inevitable.

J.B: Lyrical creative process who wrote the tracks on this one? Was it a collaboration? It has some deep metaphorical meanings in there with tracks like (Fishing) and (Paranoid)?

Graeme – Hugo, was left to have the last word on lyrics, Fred had

k/ Photo: R.S

an input, which was great and I also. The first track, “Memories of Youth”, came about via an email from me to Hugo. I told him a story about an old friend of mine who had just been stabbed, he was in a bad way and died a few days later. He lifted my words and filled some gaps in, that’s how the lyrics came about. THE last track, “Stalingrad”, was Dickie, it totally shows his dark humor and tells you how things actually were with him.

J.B: Was Hugo the perfect fill in comparable to Stubbs Voice? From previous projects a compliment to the direction of that tone and feel of the album?

Graeme – Dickie and I never really looked at Hugo as a comparable to Frankie; he was a Canadian Punk from The Sainte Catherines, perfect yes! We could see why they would get compared, the tone and gravel, in there, but we like that sound! Hugo makes no bones about what he feels of Frankie’s work, in fact none of us do. Frankie has a massive respect for them also!

I think collectively, everyone did their

very best on the record, very proud of it!

J.B: The title is “Warm Places” with the cover of the pyramids is that homage to the under tone of the current state of political discontent in certain “Warm Places”?

Graeme – It was more towards the idea of youth, growing up and experiences you have. We didn’t actually intend to do that, but it just went that way, as we talked and discussed things with each other.

J.B: There’s quite a span in distance on this formation are there any plans to do maybe a North American/ European tour or special ap

pearances at select Festivals? Say in Montreal?

Graeme – We purposely left these points to talk about after the release, but the feeling is pretty much what you have said. It would be wrong not to!

J.B: Do you feel the newer direction of Punk has that Indie feel it to?

Graeme – I think there has always been an element of that anyway, new wave or whatever people want to call it. There does seem to be, “Categorization” of Punk Rock these days, which I can understand a bit, I mean it is media marketing techniques at hands isn’t it???

For me you can’t expect everything to stay the same, all of the time, no change allowed. You have to have diversity, younger kids have different influences, and I mean wasn’t that what Punk rock was about?

If we didn’t progress and move forward, punk would have been dead and buried years ago, but it hasn’t so surely, we are all doing something right?

I can remember in an interview, what Frankie (Stubbs), did and he said, “The age of our audience always stays the same”. Meaning even after 20 years of playing you have old, young, Mohicans, long hair, short hair, who gives a fuck, people are here and taking part, that’s what matters!

J.B: And you guys decided to release on Paper and Plastic in the states? What’s it like working with Vinnie’s label?

Graeme – So far it’s been great. The last time I saw Vinnie was when Less than Jake played with SNUFF, at the University in the North East, UK. Never for a second would I have thought I would be working on a release with him, haha. He’s a great guy, he knows what it’s like doing what we do. I also have to mention Mark Vincent Bussey, who looks after the UK/EU side of things; he has worked really hard with us also, and is a fantastic Dude! A big THANKS to them both!

J.B: Who was the producer on this what where was it recorded?

The pre-production was done at The Bunker, Sunderland UK, in Studio 13. I was actually setting it up while we were getting ideas down.

Paul Reed a friend of mind helped out and pointed me in the right direction with the software. This really helped me get things moving.

I knew Ryan Basstuzzi, from Yesterday’s Ring, he has a great temperament and a really good person. I had kept tabs on work he had

been doing for some time and also the Studio we used. It was Wild Studios, two hours’ drive out of Montreal; we set up camp there. It was the perfect place, with a great set up.

I think we all had our input when it was necessary, I prefer it that way, it’s important, Ryan did a fantastic job!

J.B: Any chance of maybe distribution in Canada through Stomp records?

Graeme - I can’t see why not, I will investigate!

J.B: We always end with a famous book or quote that inspired your life anything come to mind?

There are too many, haha, one that springs to mind is, “Why is it us”? – “Because there’s no one else here lad”.

Dickie Hammond

WITHIN PUNK ZINE INTERVIEW WITH

BILL HOCKMUTH/CASTOFF

BY EMAIL

FEBRUARY 08,2016 COURTESY OF

MIKE CUBILLOS/EARSHOTMEDIA J.B: Okay so let’s talk about the title “First Step to recovery” what was the meaning behind it is it reflective of the personal choices we make?

BILL: Yeah, it’s a reference that’s almost a call to for us to strive to make the best personal choices we can (and that’s really different for everyone) as well as working toward better, more informed choices as a society overall.

J.B: The Album art has the classic Alarm clock disintegrating is that a representation of running out of time?

BILL: The artist (Juan De Lange at Decay Clothing) who did the concept and layout developed the idea of time really being the first step to recovery and I really dug it, I mean, we all need time to make positive change, and in many ways our time is perpetually fleeting.

J.B: On this first full length you went with Morning Wood Records and Bird Attack Records, what’s it like working with them?

It’s been great, they both released our last EP “Lines and Passages” and have been incredibly professional along with super supportive and awesome in helping promote our band and spread the word.

We actually just came off our first “Bird Attack Presents” tour with Flag on Fire, which was awesome and we definitely will be doing more of those quite soon.

J.B: The title track has that “Off the floor” one time old school Analog sound to it was that part of the recording process?

BILL: We actually recorded all the songs basically the same way, through an analogue board tracking one instrument at a time, but we definitely wanted to find that balance between sounding well produced while keeping a little bit of that rawness and get the live feel a bit.

J.B: This album was recorded at Fletcher Dragges studio “Screaming Leopard� up in Hermosa how was that process?

BILL: It was awesome, we loved recording there. Hard to put my finger on it, but was definitely sort of a family feel to that studio. We felt really comfortable there and everything with the tracking just came together really easily.

J.B: The feel of the album has a lot of Breakdowns that add that feel to it and dive right into again, was that the direction you wanted to explore with this one?

BILL: Definitely, our drummer is really good at breakdowns and those kinds of transitions and he influenced many of those parts for sure. I suppose we just wanted to make this album a bit more dynamic than just staying fast all the time, even though we love that too haha.

J.B: You also have some different time signatures, half drumming

and swift tempo changes do you feel that is the new direction of the scene now even though it has been around as a fundamental foundation of many classically trained musicians influenced by the Jazz style?

BILL: Possibly, there are so many great technical bands in the scene that are just crazy talented that I suppose in some indirect way push us to be as good and dynamic as we can be in our song writing and arrangement. But I think it’s still all about basic riff and melody, and all the fanciness makes something rad sound more so. We certainly try to just write some good, basic songs at their core and go from there. But, for sure, we want to keep the listener interested with some different things.

J.B: Perception and Honesty is solid track that will probably be the definition of the album but one of my favorites is also a Propaghandi type feeling song “Capitalize” what do you feel is the favorite track on this release?

BILL: Wow, that’s a tough question. I like them all for different reasons but a couple that stand out for me right now are Second Chance Realities and Certain as the Sun. Maybe because we just started playing them live and it’s been really fun to finally jam on those in front of people.

J.B: I would say the inflluences are “Pennywise” defiantely “Pulley” and hints of “Ten Foot Pole” and song tracks almost Lagwagon what was the influences you had going into it?

BILL: Of course, all those bands are absolute legends and influence us quite a bit, but I’d also say outside of the melodic punk realm...

Thrice, Lamb of God, Iron Maiden, Agnostic Front are all bands that have an impact on our writing in one way or another.

J.B: On previous tours you’ve done some shows with After The Fall which has the tempo shift sections and also with our friends Guttermouth who always knows how to have a good time and do it right. Is there any times along the way during those shows that really stood out for you as “What the hell just happened”?

BILL: Haha, not too much. Mostly just had an awesome time playing

with those bands. Great dudes and rad musicians.

J.B: On Haterz gonna mate it is has that Metal break down are you paying some homage to the old days?

BILL: Exactly, Brandon, Ron, and I are all pretty big metal heads and grew up loving the thrash bands of the 80s and 90s. So, yeah, that was definitely intentional and we just wanted that part to sound super heavy and evil, like the old days haha.

J.B: What’s next for Castoff you have a few shows coming up any plans on getting out there more like Pouzzafest in Montreal or Amnesia Rockfest or maybe some of the bigger festivals?

BILL: That is certainly something we’re aiming for. We’ve got some pretty big news coming on that front in the coming weeks, but has to remain secret for now:) J.B: We always end with a famous book or quote that inspired your life anything come to mind?

BILL: Hmm...not that I can think of at the moment.

I can tell you my least favorite quote though: “Everything happens for a reason”... No it doesn’t...things happen for no reason at all constantly.

TOURS: April 15-17 La Escalera Fest 5 w/Get Dead, Heartsounds, Bad Cop Bad Cop, Civil War Rust, Western Settings, and many many others...(They’re playing Fri Apr. 15 at Tower Bar) May 8 - Slabratory Presents: w/A Wilhelm Scream, Implants, Heartsounds, Out to Lunch at Soda Bar

NEWS RELEASES San Diego Punks Castoff Releasing ‘First Step To Recovery’ LP on February 10; On Tour with Flag On Fire This Month San Diego melodic skate punks Castoff will release their new full-length ‘First Step To Recovery’ on February 10 via Bird Attack Records/Morning Wood Records, with a limited edition run of vinyl (100 pieces) and CD’s available for pre-order, starting on February 1.

The band will also be selling CD’s on their Florida tour with Jacksonville, FL’s Flag On Fire, which runs Jan 28 - Jan 31.

Influenced by bands like Bad Religion, Pennywise, Strung Out and Propagandhi, Castoff blends vocal harmonies, fast guitar riffing with technical flourishes and a furious rhythm section, along with thought provoking lyrics around societal issues and the ups and downs of human existence.

Driven by a persistent work ethic and common goal of progressing musically and playing as many shows as possible, Castoff is ready to become a mainstay in the melodic skatepunk scene.

“MUSIC FOR BOOBIES”: 2 NEW UNRELEASED TRACKS OUT TODAY: ZEBRAHEAD’s “BLUE LIGHT SPECIAL” and AMERICAN HI-FI’s “ANOTHER PERFECT DAY” (ACOUSTIC, FT. KAY HANLEY) Rude Records and Keep A Breast Foundation are excited to announce today new singles off of the upcoming ‘Music For Boobies’ compilation.

The previously-unreleased tracks are Zebrahead’s “Blue Light Special” and a new acoustic version of the classic super hit “Another Perfect Day” from American Hi-Fi! Zebrahead’s Ben Ozz says, “Super stoked to have our song “Blue Light Special” on the Music For Boobies compilation. We wanted to have something special for it, so here is an unreleased song. Let’s make a difference and support Keep A Breast together!!!” American Hi-Fi’s new version of their classic song “Another Perfect Day”, was recorded specifically for ‘Music For Boobies’ as a duet together with Kay Hanley (Letters to Cleo).

Adds American Hi-Fi’s singer Stacy Jones: “Another Perfect Day is one of the first songs I wrote for American Hi-Fi. It’s a song about leaning on those that you love, and finding the strength to persevere through hard times. Kay Hanley is the singer in Letters to Cleo (my first band). I asked her to be involved because I’d always wanted to sing with her, she is like family, and unfortunately, Kay recently lost a dear friend to a battle with cancer. We are proud to be involved in this project, to help raise funds and bring awareness to Keep A Breast’s efforts in eradicating breast cancer for future generations.” Some of the hottest names in the alternative scene have joined forces with KAB and Rude Records on the ‘Music For Boobies’ compilation, which offers a mix of new and unreleased songs: duets, previously-released tracks connected to the KAB cause, as well as new remixed versions of their songs.

The release announcement came together with the first 2 instant-grat tracks: a brand-new, unreleased cover of the New Radicals’ classic “You Get What You Give” from Arizona rockers THE MAINE (featuring Brennan Smiley) and ANGELS & AIRWAVES with a remix of their “Saturday Love”.

Then an exciting and previously unreleased collaboration came in the form of a duet between DANKO JONES and LACUNA COIL’s CRISTINA SCABBIA for a new version of “Wild Woman”, which was released on January 15th.

NEWS RELEASES COLOURS have partnered with Cool Hunting to premiere “Slow,” from their debut album, Ivory. With dates selling out, COLOURS begin their tour with Robert DeLong this weekend and will announce more tour dates soon Ivory available February 26th.

On the track, drummer Morgan Alley states “When we wrote the music we felt a very provocative and sexual pulsing tone and wanted to write lyrics paralleled to that. ‘Slow’ is a very disclosed song. It’s a very primal song that we wrote to invoke very primal thoughts.” With Alley on drums and Kyle Tamo on vocals, the band entered the studio in early 2015 with producer Shaun Lopez (Crosses, Far, Deftones) to record their first full length. Ivory follows their self-released EP Skin and Bones, which prompted Alternative Press to name the band one of the “100 Bands You Need To Know” in 2015.

BL’AST! and EYEHATEGOD New Split 7”, Out Now Via Rise Records Influential Santa Cruz, California hardcore band BL’AST! and New Orleans, LA sludge metal masters EYEHATEGOD have just dropped a new, 2-song 7” split via Rise Records.

The 7” is available in 3 vinyl variants, limited to 1000 pieces, the limited to 100 version includes a t-shirt. Purchase at RISERECORDSSTORE. COM. The 2 songs are also available digitally and is streaming on all digital service providers.

Two Inch Astronaut Debut “Personal Life” LP with Billboard Personal Life LP Due Out Friday, February 5th via Exploding In Sound.

Two Inch Astronaut are excited to share their new album, Personal Life, in full via Billboard, ahead of the record’s release on Friday, February 5th via Exploding In Sound Records. Heavy on nuance, jagged melodies, wistful harmonies, and dynamically structured song writing, Personal Life finds Two Inch Astronaut continuing to mature into one of the East Coast’s most explosive and exciting bands throughout a dark album that grapples with themes of “personal life” in their own context.

Speaking about the album, Billboard shared, “For their third full length, the Maryland punks tossed sound bites and screengrabs of their everyday lives into ten songs that brood and burst into ramshackle jams for their onstage alter egos. It’s as if the conversations en route to record with producer J. Robbins were captured and strewn across the jam sessions that came to be Personal Life.” They elaborated, “founding members Matt Gatwood (drums, cello, vocals) and Sam Rosenberg (guitar, vocals) collaborated with new bassist Andy Chervenak. A vocalist in his own right, Chervenak jumped in on the songwriting process and encouraged the aforementioned jam sessions -- something the band had never tried before.” Needless to say, the results of the new trio have lit a fire in Two Inch Astronaut... and it’s personal.

“PROTECTION”

AVAILABLE MARCH 4/16 www.fatwreck.com

MEAN JEANS

“NIGHT VISION”

AVAILABLE MARCH 18/16 www.fatwreck.com

THE BRAINS

“OUT IN THE DARK” AVAILABLE NOW

“SUPERBAFRANGO” AVAILABLE NOW

NEW

NOISE http://spanishlovesongs.bandcamp.com/releases

http://buriedcities.bandcamp.com/

The Real McKenzies 03.10.16 - Vancouver, BC - Venue 03.11.16 - Victoria, BC - Upstairs Cabaret 03.16.16 - Lethbridge, AB - Studio Nightclub 03.17.16 - Calgary, AB - Dickens 03.18.16 - Edmonton, AB - Starlight Room 03.19.16 - Red Deer, AB - Fratter’s Speakeasy 03.20.16 - Banff, AB - Wil Bill’s 03.22.16 - Regina, SK - Mcnally’s Tavern 03.23.16 - Moose Jaw, SK - Bobby’s Place 03.24.16 - Winnipeg, MB - The Windsor 03.25.16 - Saskatoon, SK - Amigo’s

CASTOFF

“First Steps to Recovery”

AVAILABLE NOW “San Diego’s Castoff punches that 90’s classic skate punk right back into your head to get you motivated in no time” San Diego has a healthy punk scene for being in the heart of the California scene with the influences of skate punk. Castoff is no exception to that with their first full length “First Step to recovery” with the sounds of Pennywise,Pulley and Lagwagon. With guitar wizardary and strong rhythym’s and melodic drum beats, this album flows from the moment you hit the play button. From the get go with “Perception and Honesty” it’s clear the album is full of chorus and anthems that will get you singing along. The down tunes and technical sections in “Revocation” and “Selective memory” show the progression of composure and dynamics.

This album even has some influence of the lounge era on the opener to “Haterz gonna hate” right into some dark heavy rift content reminiscent of the metal era.

The rhythym and drumming skills shine through on the track ‘Second Chance realities” that has that (Pulley) and (Ten Foot Pole) sound of the classic nineties feel that still blazes through today. Lyrically this album covers a lot of topics in human nature and endevours to personal experiences and technologies downfall.

It’s hard to define which tracks really stand out as the main bodied focus since they are all equally worthy of this title. The ending track “Certain as the Sun” finishes off strong and completes the direction and overall feel of the album. The most notable song that resonated through was ‘Capitolize” that has that catchy chord hook in the intro and carries through as one of the most assumed crowd pleasures in live perfomance. This album is a must to add to the collection of influential bands that have arisen from the nineties much loved sound.

“A EXTREMELY INFLUENTIAL RELEASE WITH THAT CLASSIC SKATE PUNK SOUND “

The john fished two twenties from a wallet that Becky noticed was still comfortably full.

“You do understand, don’t you? You, me, all this—we are all fulfilling God’s destiny, even if we don’t know what he has in mind for us.

Faith is not believing that God can, but believing that God will!” His eyes burned with the fury of a thousand suns.

“Whatever you say, pal,” said Becky, tucking the money away and reaching forward to unzip the trick’s pants. To her surprise, he was already rock hard. She quickly unrolled a condom over his cock, thinking that maybe this wouldn’t be so difficult after all.

“REPENT!” roared the trick as Becky worked her magic. “GOD’S HELP IS ONLY A PRAYER AWAY!” Becky worked faster, split lip reopening, a small amount of blood running down her chin. The trick was very modestly endowed, and her bloody bottom lip made contact with his white briefs with each rapid bob of her head. For one horrifying second, the bloodstain bore an uncanny resemblance to Jesus, but when she looked again the crimson mark was just a blob. She kept going, certain that the freak would spurt his holy juice into the condom at any moment.

There was nothing like the love of Jesus to bring a man over the edge.

UPCOMING RELEASES

TWO INCH ASTRONAUT “Personal Life”

EXPLODING IN SOUND RECORDS FEBRUARY 5,2015

MANIPULATE

“Becoming Madness”

FLATSPOT RECORDS FEBRUARY 12,2016

COLOURS “IVORY”

VICTORY RECORDS FEBRUARY 26,2016

FACE TO FACE “Protection”

FAT WRECK CHORDS MARCH 4 ,2016

MUSIC FOR BOOBIES “Compilation”

RUDE RECORDS MARCH 18,2016

RAY ROCKET

“Do You Wanna Go To Tijuana”

RISE RECORDS APRIL 1 ,2016

UPCOMING TOURS/SHOWS

https://www.ticketfly.com/purchase/event/979309?utm_medium=bks